Question

1. Using the calculation examples given in your chapter reading, estimate the entrance skin exposure for a PA chest X-ray image conducted at 120 kVp/2 mAs.

2. During the Chernobyl nuclear reactor incident, what was the average dose to people living within 100 miles of the reactor facility? What, approximately, was the average dose to people living within 100 miles of the Fukushima reactor facility in Japan during its reactor incident? Which accident was more likely to produce significant radiation exposures to the public and wildlife living near the nuclear plant and why?

Answer 1

1) Entrance skin exposure is a measure of radiation that is absorbed by skin as it reaches the patient.. It is measured by Thermoluminescent dosimeter.

For chest PA x-ray,   entrance skin exposure is 0.2 mGy

2) Average dose in Chernobyl 100miles away - around 2000 to 3000mSv.

Average dose in Fukushima - 100 to 200mSv

Chernobyl incident was more powerful in emitting radiation than Fukushima , where only 1/10th of radiation occured than Chernobyl. At Chernobyl explosion destroyed a reactor, releasing acliud of radiation that contaminated large area.While in Fukushima it was damaged by earthquake, and reactors still had mostly intact containment vessels surrounding nuclear cores.